To Professor Kuribayashi - If you want to teach college-level English, you need to learn to speak the language first. No, it wasn't your accent. It was your atrocious grammar and piss-poor grasp of the intricacies of the language. To teach a subject at the college level, you need to be an expert in that subject. And NO, not everything in every story is symbolic of a penis or vagina.

To Ms. Vail - I was SEVEN years old when you marked me wrong on a damned "months of the year" assignment, in which I wrote: "In February, I like to look at buds on the trees getting ready for spring." You wrote in big red letters, "NO YOU DON'T," and you docked ten points. Obviously, you were laboring under the assumption that buds don't appear until later in the year. Yes, I still remember this. And now, at the age of 30, having earned 4.0's in several college botany courses, I can assure you that YES, it is very possible to examine buds on the trees at any point during the winter. They're small, but they're quite visible to the naked eye. And yes, I did enjoy looking at the buds on the trees when I was a kid. How does it feel to know that one of your 2nd graders knew more about basic botany than you did? Oh, and by the way, you still owe me the ice cream sundae that you promised to any kid who finished the entire SRA box of reading exercises. I was the only kid in the class who finished the whole fucking box, and I still want my ice cream, dammit! That sort of shit scars a kid for life, you know.

To Ms. McIntyre - You had no business teaching a health class. Seriously, no business. You couldn't even read and understand the basic nutritional labels on food products. You couldn't do basic math. And fuck, you seemed to be laboring under the assumption that drinking a single alcoholic beverage in your entire life makes a person an alcoholic. You were an embarrassment to the teaching profession. And no, I'm not sorry for correcting you in front of the entire class... multiple times. My classmates deserved accurate information. Really, vegetable oil isn't made of fat? You were a piece of work. Stick with sewing and home-ec. At least you knew how to sew a pretty skirt.

2. What is your favorite scene in STXI? From the moment Bones says, "Look, Jim... I've gotta go," when he's supposed to leave for the Enterprise, to the moment he and Jim run onto the bridge.

3. When were you first introduced to the Star Trek franchise? i was raised by two Trekkies, so I don't remember a time when I didn't know about Star Trek. I think I started watching TOS episodes when I was five. Maybe younger. And I started actively following TNG when I was seven.

4. Is there anything Star Trek around the room in which you're currently sitting? Oh fuck yeah. Let's see... my Cadet McCoy action figure. My model phaser. A bunch of Star Trek jokes, comics, and memes that I printed out and posted on the wall. And did I mention... this is my cubicle at work.

6. If you could be any other species than human in the Star Trek universe, you would be: A member of the Q Continuum, please. After that... Betazoid.

7. Which pet would you rather have: a sehlat or a tribble? Sehlat. But really, could I have a Tarkazian Razor Beast?

8. Who might you cast in the role of reboot Nurse Chapel? Khan? Other reboot character? Dude, don't ask me stuff like that.

9. Kirk and Spock are: In TOS - the most epic romance ever. In XI? They've got a working relationship.

10. If you could give any Star Trek character a chance to be captain of the Enterprise, who would it be? Scotty. He's the only man who loves that ship as much as Kirk.

BONUS. Think fast! Give one Star Trek quote from memory: "In this galaxy, there's a mathematical probability of three-million Earth-type planets. An in all of the universe, three million-million galaxies like our own. And in all that, and perhaps more, only one of each of us. Don't destroy the one named Kirk." - McCoy, TOS, "Balance of Terror""I bet you were a jumper." - Guinan to Ensign Ro, TNG, "Rascals""Nice planet." Worf, TNG, "Justice""I regret nothing." Picard to Q, in bed, TNG, "Tapestry.""The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth..." Picard to Wesley, TNG, "The First Duty""Do they have sandwiches there?" - Scotty, ST:XI

Baby it's COOOOOLD outside! So what better way to warm up than with some rampant gluttony? My secret indulgences? What do I revel in? Did I spend too much money on something just because I fucking WANTED it? So...

DAY 6: Gluttony!

1. Bourbon. Really goddamned expensive bourbon. I'm starting to appreciate other top-shelf liquors, too. Other whiskeys. Tequilas. One of my friends introduced me to a vodka last month that made me fucking swoon. I also like nice wine, and really good beer. But give me my fucking bourbon, and life is good.

2. Shoes. Not like women's shoes, but I've discovered the world of funky, weird, and even PLAID shoes. I don't need as many as I have... but I love them anyway.

3. Fancy, self-pampering stuff. I know that sounds kinda broad-sweeping, but that's because it is. Just general indulgence because sometimes, I can. Sure, I can rough it. I did it for years. And yes, I still rough it plenty because I don't like being broke, and I don't believe in credit cards. But now that I can afford a nice hotel room, a fancy meal, and a bit of creature comfort without selling my soul to the devil Mastercard? Dude, there is nothing quite as deliciously self-indulgent as getting a top-notch hotel room with a super-plush, real-down-comforter swathed, pillow-overloaded, king-sized bed. And then jumping on it.

4. Leather. Real leather. PETA, you can suck my balls. I like leather. And you can read that however you want it. (Oh, and PETA, while I'm at it, you should know that I love a nice, thick, bleeding-rare steak, marinated and grill-seared. Mmmm... meat.)

5. Tea. No, not that Lipton crap. I mean tea that costs $100/pound. Jade oolong, silver needle, 2nd-flush Darjeeling, jasmine pearl, and some of the finest Earl Grey you can imagine. Perfectly brewed and sweetened with fancy-ass varietal honey. And while I'm at it, I like fancy-ass coffee, too. Single-source, Arabica, shade-grown, freshly-roasted, freshly-ground, French-pressed, and served with real cream and just a touch of raw sugar.

6. Sleeping in. Waking up slowly. Luxuriating in blankets. The sweet siren song of memory foam.

7. Fancy food. Cheese, sushi, imported olives, prosciutto, rare mushrooms, lobster, scallops, and stuff that comes on silver platters with heart-stopping price tags. Obviously, I don't eat that stuff all the time. In fact, I know how to cook healthy, tasty food on the cheap like nobody's business. But... yeah, I love the fancy stuff.

I took a break over the weekend, but I'm baaaack, bitches! It's time for...

On day 2, I made a distinction between Envy and Greed. As I said, material stuff isn't really all that important to me. I have no profound, burning desire for any material possessions that really touches me on any emotional level. So... my "Envy" stuff was more about inner things that I wish I could BE and EXPERIENCE. Greed, however... this is a list of pie-in-the-sky, over-the-top, self-indulgent pipe dreams. Sky's the limit here. If the world was my oyster, what would I want? I'm excluding fantasy stuff (ie. a pet dragon) and things that don't exist yet (the USS Enterprise). So, of things that exist on this planet, right now...

DAY 5 - GREED!

1. A YACHT. Yep, that's right. And I want to be able to cruise from port to port, exploring other lands on a whim. I want it to have a jacuzzi on the deck. I want a fishing platform on the back (yes, I love to salt-water fish). I'll sail it through tropical waters, through open ocean, and along the coast of Alaska. I want to see and experience everything. I want to stand on the top and scream, "I'm on a motherfucking BOAT!" And I swear to all the self-indulgent wonders of the world, I'll name it the USS Tribble.

3. A "green" car. The Nissan Mixim. Holy fucking shit, have you seen this thing? It's got a concept interior with a single seat forward in the center for the driver, and two seats just slightly back to either side. It's like being in a goddamned COCKPIT. Yes, the doors open like that. And on top of that, this sucker's electrical. Lithium-ion battery-powered. Too bad it's just a fucking concept car... but hey, I'm being greedy. I wants it, my precious.

4. A eventing-trained Thoroughbred-Irish Draft hunter cross. (For those of you who are confused, that's a horse.)

5. A Lear Jet. Come on, we're being greedy here, right? I want to be able to travel. So while I'm being the epitome of greed here, why not find the most efficient way to travel? Worldwide transportation at my beck and call - my own private jet. And here's the funny thing - I don't give a shit about the jet. I want the convenience of being able to TRAVEL. Traveling in style and luxury is a nice thought... but mostly, I just want to go everywhere, see everything.

6. This log home, overlooking a lake in New Hampshire... or maybe somewhere on the west coast:

7. A fully-equipped, lavishly-furnished, richly appointed BDSM dungeon in my own home.

Yeah, I think that list would leave me very nicely satisfied with my material comforts. However, anyone who knows me would know that this list... it's a fun fantasy, but it's really not essential to my happiness. I like to do, see, feel, and experience everything. I like to be outdoors. I like to travel. Luxury is nice, but I don't need it. Dearly loved friends and family are the greatest luxury in life. The rest is just details.

Aaaah, Sloth. What a great thing to think about on my first day back to work after Snowmageddon. What lazy habits do I have? What do I put off? What do I avoid just because I can get away with it? Generally, I'm a person who sees something that needs to be done, and just fucking DOES it. I don't like to let myself be lazy in the broad sense of the word. I don't like laziness in general. But like all other Homo sapiens, we all have habits that, if we're allowed to become lazy, will become comfortable lazy habits.

DAY 4 - SLOTH!

1. I leave clothes lying around. No, not dirty ones. Instead, I'll do the laundry, bring up a basket of clean clothes, dump them out on the bed... and then... leave them there until my wife goes to the bedroom at night to go to sleep, sees my clothes on the bed, rolls her eyes, and puts them back in the basket.

2. Shoes. I toe them off by the door, and don't put them on the rack. Horrible, yes.

3. Mail. If I don't see anything that seems pertinent, I'll put it aside and get to it "later." Seriously, I hate going through mail. Stacks of paperwork. Urgh. I need a personal secretary, dammit.

4. Writing, believe it or not. As soon as I feel like I *have* to write something, I don't want to do it. It's like a mental block. I put it off, I avoid it, and I hesitate. I think it's because writing is an escape, a hobby, a frivolous pleasure. The instant it becomes an obligation, I don't want to look at it.

5. Dusting. I really need to dust my house, but I hate it. I got that from my mother. She hates dusting, too.

6. Learning to use new technology. I know I have the raw brainpower to learn to use just about any tool or technique. I just... don't. Some things, sure, I learn them. But... okay, example... I LOVE taking pictures. Love it love it love it. When I took my road trip when I was 21, you should have SEEN the incredible things I photographed. I love capturing images. But now, everything is digital, and I've had digital cameras, but I've never properly learned to use them. I think I need to do that.

7. Doing the little things to take care of my health. Yeah, believe it or not, I'm kinda bad about certain things. Wearing sunblock. Taking glucosamine for my knees. Taking fish oil for my joints. I hate them (huge pills are hard to swallow, and sunblock feels greasy even when it promises not to feel greasy), so I avoid them. I go to the gym, I generally eat healthy, and I take my prescriptions and essential vitamins that my doctor told me I have to take, but the rest of it? The stupid little stuff. I'm trying to be better about it. I kinda need to.

So, those are my lazy points. I'm sure there are others, but that's what stands out right now.

Mmm... I suppose I should start focusing on my re-certification training now, right?

Beware my squirrely wrath. Now, obviously, there are things that piss off most sane people. Bigotry. Injustice. Hypocrisy. All the biggies. Those are too commonplace, and you can already assume that those things piss me off. This post is all about things that piss ME off, personally and deeply. Now, you might find yourself agreeing with me. Or, in contrast, you might find yourself pissed off for the fact that something pisses me off! For example:I say: "I am pissed off at the color orange."You say: "Hey, I like orange! Fuck you!"And so it goes. This is my own WRATH venting. You don't have to agree with me. However, these are the things that piss me off:

1. Politicized religion. Seriously, I don't care what you want to believe in, worship, honor, or whatever. You can pray to your goddamned toaster oven for all I care. Keep it OUT of politics! And that goes for any religion, any country. The instant you mix religion with political power, you eliminate any chance for rational discourse. It destroys freedom and liberty. It destroys freedom of thought. I believe that these should be universal rights in any nation on earth. I despise theocracy. It goes against everything I hold dear.

2. Fake "science." Blatant disregard for science. WILLFUL IGNORANCE. Creationists are the obvious example, especially when they try to push their shit into the science classroom. (Yes, if you are a creationist, ESPECIALLY a young-earth creationist, I MOCK you.) Of course, it also includes the people who refuse to believe that climate change is happening and caused by human activity. It includes people who seem to think that hydrocarbon fossil fuels will last forever. However, this also applies to the anti-vaccine idiots, the homeopathy suckers, and the people who thoroughly misinterpret quantum physics for this touchy-feely woo-woo bullshit. Seriously, folks?

3. People who jump on bandwagons without knowing what they're talking about. This usually applies to "party line" issues. In other words, certain brands of conservatives will ALWAYS jump on one side of an issue, regardless of facts. Likewise, certain brands of liberals will ALSO jump onto one side of an issue without getting all the facts first. In my not-so-humble opinion, the liberal side is usually the "correct" side, but for fuck sake people, GET THE FACTS ANYWAY. Not every situation is what you think it is after a cursory glance.

3. A. People who are against universal health care and who don't have a clue what they're talking about. Universal health care is a basic function of a modern, civilized society, and would have SO many benefits to EVERYONE. And yet, based on misinformation and a stinking pile of bullshit, people are fighting tooth and nail against it. In the meantime, people are DYING because they can't get access to health care. Let me repeat that: PEOPLE. ARE. DYING. Many more are suffering. If that's not a reason to get angry, I don't know what is.

4. Double-standards. I'm not going to explain this one.

5. Disrespect. Whether I'm being disrespected myself, or I'm witnessing someone else being disrespected. And yes, sometimes, people need to be put in their places. That's not what I'm talking about. This is when people treat others as though they're less-than-human. This is separate from disrespect due to racism, sexism, age-ism, or any of the other major bigotry classes. This is the type of disrespect that pays no attention to that, and just puts people down regardless of anything else. It's when I see people treating folks with the assumption that everyone else around them is unimportant.

5.A. I can't fucking tolerate people who talk down to me. Their misguided estimates of my intelligence infuriate me, and there are too many times when, because of societal bullshit, there are very few ways to stand up for myself without looking even worse. I've had people TAKE THINGS out of my hands (literally grab things) because they assumed stuff was too heavy for me because I'm a "small woman." They didn't ask. That's not "being nice." That's rude and insulting. I've had people use infantile layman's terms to discuss things that I probably understand as well as they do.

6. Cowardice. Look, I know people get scared. I know phobias exist. I know that not everyone has the balls to risk their necks. But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the sort of cowardice that keeps people from doing the right thing. They don't want to speak up for the right thing because they're afraid of going against the grain. What would people think? What would the neighbors say? All my peers think this way, so I can't speak up or they'd hate me! COWARDS. There's only one way to never piss people off... and that's by NEVER saying or doing anything truly brave or valuable. But nothing pisses me off more than when I watch people refuse to speak up for what's right, even when they know what the right thing is.

7. Reality TV culture. Lowest common denominator. The fact that CNN seems more like a tabloid than a real news network now. People get more worked up about inconsequential things instead of things that matter because the things that matter require THINKING. Important stuff is challenging. Real issues cause REAL emotional strain, and take real effort. Instead, fake sources of entertainment provide shallow distractions, and people can let themselves ignore the important shit.

So that's what my mind came up with today. I have other nebulous thoughts, and some days, things come to the surface. The thing is, I had a really nice day today (work was cancelled for the second day in a row due to the blizzard), and I don't feel particularly wrathful. I've had a nice dinner, I've still got a bit of really good bourbon left in my glass, and I'm feeling kinda mellow. I'm someone who tends to have a lot of strong thoughts, opinions, and feelings. I think big, and I don't always have a venue in which to share those thoughts. I kinda miss being in college for that reason. But hey, I've got LJ.

And now my dog is demanding to be let out, so I shall bid you all goodnight.

With this "Deadly Sin," I need to draw a careful distinction between Greed and Envy. Material goods don't make me envious, although I'd often really like to have more shiny things. Very little actually makes me truly envious, because I've stopped letting that be so important to me. However, when I let myself think about it, there are a few things that, when I see them in the spotlight or am reminded that I lack these things, they make me feel a solid twist of envy. So here they are, in no particular order.

1. Height. I've always felt I should have been 6'1", because my significantly lesser height simply can't contain my awesomeness. I don't FEEL short. I never did. And so when I am suddenly reminded, at various points in time, that I'm short, I feel a random flash of bitterness that I'm lacking about a foot of height that I SHOULD have, dammit.

2. Clear skin. Just not fair, okay? I'm clean, I've used every treatment known to mankind, and unless I use a steady supply of prescription meds just for my own vanity, I still break out like a teenage boy. Yeah, I get envious of people who have naturally clear skin.

3. Anatomy that fits my gender. Is that too much to ask?

4. Perfect eyesight. I wear contacts. Most people don't even realize that I need corrective lenses unless they know me very well. I've needed corrective lenses since I was 10. I can't make out people's faces from three feet away without my glasses. Most people don't think of glasses as a prosthetic, but ever since I was in Basic Training for the Army, that's all I can think of them as. I had to wear these horrible "birth control glasses" while I was in training. It's not the ugly factor I cared about. It was that they were heavy, didn't fit right, gave me terrible headaches, got scratched easily, fogged up in the rain, flopped around while I ran, and bordered on torture. For SIX MONTHS. And I couldn't take them off, because without them, I couldn't see anything. With corrective lenses, I was an expert rifleman. Without them, I wouldn't have been able to shoot the broad side of a barn. I was absolutely DEPENDENT on them. To me, corrective lenses are a crutch and a prosthetic and it's terrifying when I've had them taken from me. Someday, if my doctor says there are no contradictions, and I trust the technology a little bit better, I'm getting Lasik.

5. A spotlight. Let me explain. I don't actually give a shit about "fame" in the modern sense, so that's not what I'm talking about. BUT... I love to entertain. I got my first taste of a stage when I was 6, but then I joined a semi-pro chorus when I was 12 (it was an adult chorus, and I was the youngest member). I fucking love to entertain. I want a stage and a spotlight. I want to create music for people to listen to. I want to bring stories and characters to life. I want an audience to take it all in. And I want it to be ME up there.

6. The time, money, and resources needed to get a doctorate degree.

7. Straight teeth. Never got braces as a kid. My teeth are healthy. However, just like my height can't contain my awesomeness, I actually have a small mouth (save the wise cracks) that can't contain my teeth. Most of them are okay, but I have this ONE that is severely crowded, and it actually kinda hurts. I want a nice smile.

So, that's what makes me envious. Huh... that almost seems innocent. Tomorrow's installment, WRATH, ought to be more entertaining.

I figure, if I'm going to do a meme like this, I'm going to be brash, crude, abrasive, cocky, prideful, envious, wrathful, self-indulgent, greedy, gluttonous, and unashamedly lustful. So of course this is going to sound self-centered. If you don't want to hear me tooting my own horn (or talking about the lustful things that would cause me to toot my horn), then scroll past and pretend you never saw this. (You've been warned.) Currently, I'm really looking forward to Wrath and Lust, but I think this whole thing will be fun.

If you were asked to pick one scene, one shot, one detail, one moment of some kind out of all the things I've written and say "This, this, for whatever reason, I remember, this is something that struck home with me, that I wanted to keep," what would it be?

So, from all the stuff I've written in both HP and ST fandoms... what's the one thing that sticks in your brainbox? An image? A phrase? A scene? Some tiny detail overlooked by everyone else? Some grandiose, gut-wrenching moment of emotional cataclysm? Have I managed to write something that sticks with you?

For anyone curious... I have my own favorites. Two of them. 1. First is the image from near the end of my Harry Potter fic, "Eclipse," where we see Harry returning to school, carrying Draco's body. The scene is written from Hermione's point of view... one of the only scenes in the entire story not exclusively told from Harry's or Draco's perspective. The whole scene has always played out in my head like a scene from a movie, complete with soundtrack. I cried when I first got the idea for the scene in my mind. 2. Second is a scene in my Star Trek story, "And All the King's Men," right after Jim and Bones escape from Terra Prime's bunker, before the explosion. Bones is on the ground, Jim just got shot in the shoulder, but they're being perused by one of the terrorists. Knowing that Bones' injury is critical, and that he's got to fight off their attacker, Jim forces himself up and prepares to fight the guy. The text reads: "With that, [Jim] rolled to his knees and perched on his toes like a sprinter just about to start a race. His hand went to his phaser as he looked up at their oncoming attacker, and without a glance back, he launched himself into the night." We see/feel the scene from Bones' point of view. lizardspots illustrated this scene, here: http://lizardspots.livejournal.com/307004.html . :)

I usually don't do memes like this. I sometimes feel like I'm being greedy or fishing by asking people to comment.

However, I am highly stressed out about my Star Trek big bang fic, I'm stressed about the prep-work I still need to do for Dragon*Con, I'm nervous as hell about the audition this weekend (for which I am NOT ready), I'm exhausted to the point of bone-weary aches due to too many things going on ALL AT ONCE OMG, and I need some love.

A - Act your age? What's my age again? Oh yeah, almost 30? How the fuck am I supposed to act, huh? Some days, I act like I'm 12. Other days, I feel like I'm 50. So sue me.B - Born on what day of the week? Tuesday.C - Chore you hate? Dishes. D - Dad's name? I refuse to mention my biological father, so let's go with my grandfather (mother's father). Liboire Michel d'Entremont. I was named after him.E - Essential makeup item? Tacky glue. For costume stuff! F - Favorite actor/actress? Seriously? You want me to sum it up like that? I adore Robin Williams. But there are so many actors I appreciate for so many different things.G - Gold or silver? Titanium or tungsten.H - Hometown? I've been all over, but I'll lay claim to Boston.I - Instruments you play? Piano, tin whistle, hand-harp, vocals, and I want to learn guitar, but the one I had died.J - Job title? Hazardous Materials Coordinator. *grins*K - Kids? Other than pets? No way.L - Living arrangements? Er... living? I rent a house. It's comfy. I share it with my delightful Trophy Wife. We live there. It's living. :DM - Mum's name? JaniceN - Nude? Under my clothes.O - Overnight hospital stays? Once. The day I found out I'm REALLY allergic to spiders. Dude, my hand and arm swelled up like a balloon.P - Phobia? Shots. Having no control over a situation.Q - Quote you like? "There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their lives is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat, and we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures." (And yes, I typed from memory.)R - Religious affiliation? Agnostic, Pagan, Unitarian Universalist, Flying Spaghetti MonsterS - Siblings? One sister, younger.T - Time you wake up? 6:30 for work.U - Unique habit? Er... finding myself in completely unexpected situations and making the most of it, shamelessly and unapologetically? I also dislike sitting in chairs. V - Vegetable you refuse to eat? Okra. Sorry, southerners, but the stuff is nasty.W - Worst habit? Biting my cuticles, maybe. Or leaving my shoes everywhere.X - X-rays you've had? Including CT scans? Let's see... Right tibia/fibula, right knee, right hand (multiple times, multiple fractures), right shoulder (suspected separation), CT scans (and MRI's) of my head due to several concussions (I SWEAR I'm not reckless!), spine for back pain due to another incident, and right hand again (because I was goofing off with an x-ray machine at work, and I do shit like that), Y - Yummy food you make? Sushi. Or anything I feel like cooking, actually.Z - Zodiac Sign? Leo.

1. I adore gone_ashore , because nobody writes h/c and whump like she does. Love vixys because she's so sweet and talented with words. Love lizardspots because she's ten kinds of awesome wrapped into a tiny little package of squee, and will soon be Doctor Leezard! And I love ewinfic because, seriously, DUDE, I don't even really LIKE RPS, but I can't resist hers, and it had me almost rolling off my chair laughing last night.

2. I love fanfiction. I love the creativity. I love the way thousands of people all watch the same movies and shows or read the same books, and everyone comes up with something brilliant and different. I've been taken on amazing journeys through the galaxy and into the depths of the human heart in some of these fanfictions. It's awesome.

Q&A MEME- Leave a comment saying "Beam me up Scotty!"- I'll respond by asking you five questions to satisfy my curiosity that are hypothetical and probably related to Star Trek.- Update your journal with the answers to your questions.- Include this explanation and offer to ask other people questions.

I'm at work, but I'm sick. WHYYYY? I've been under the weather due to various inconvenient issues for well over a month now. NOT PLEASED. So, I'm distracting myself for five minutes with this meme I gacked from eerisedda .

Here's how the Birthday Month Meme works.→ Pick your birth month.→ Strike out anything that doesn't apply to you.→ Bold the five to ten that best apply to you.→ Copy to your own journal, with all twelve months under a lj-cut

Mine is August.

AUGUST: Loves to joke. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless.Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous. Egotistic. Takes high pride in oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.

(Really, any of them but jealousy apply at some level. I used to get jealous about certain things, but I outgrew that.)

1) List 7 habits/quirks/facts about yourself.2) Tag 7 People to do the same.3) Don't tag the person who tagged you or say that you tag "whoever wants to" (of course, we all do still have free will so if this isn't your thing... feel free to ignore)

Meme stolen from duskspoken , but seen on quite a few friends' journals by now.

Pick one word from each pair that you think describes me the best and comment with your choices. Then copy this and post it in your own journal to see how your friends view you.

ETA: And now that I've gotten a bunch of responses, I'm going to give my own selections, and (for some) WHY:

* dominant or submissive: Dominant* logical or intuitive: Logical, but I strongly supplement logic with intuition.* social or loner: Social. Very social. But I can also be highly independent, and while I prefer being around people, I stand on my own.* kinky or vanilla: Kinky.* cute or sophisticated: A very odd blend of the two. I guess "cute" most of the time, but it depends on which face I need to put forward.* kitten or puppy: Puppy.* warm flannel sheets or sleek satin: Flannel. No question there.* leader or follower: Leader. I follow when the situation calls for it, but actually, I have to make a concerted effort in most cases not to automatically assume the lead. I don't want to be perceived as "pushy."* quiet or talkative: Talkative.* spontaneous or planned: Spontaneous, but I can plan things thoroughly and quickly. * teddy bear or porcelain doll: Teddy bear. Nothing "porcelain doll-like" here.* hiking or window shopping: Hiking* tequila or vodka: Bourbon. :D (Bonus points to the people who wrote that.)* top or bottom: Top.* bare foot or shoes: Socks.* jeans or slacks: Jeans.* tender or rough: Rough, but tenderly so. Yeah, I'm an enigma.* aware or dreamy: Aware, but I have my moments. I'm a daydreamer when I can be.* nerd or jock: Both. Yes, I am an academic, and a geek... but I played varsity and intercollegiate sports. I was also a Soldier, and I like physical competition. Sorry, there's no way I could choose one or the other.* brains or brawn: Brains first, brawns to back it up.* common sense or book smarts: I use my book smarts to back up my common sense.

I feel like shit right now. No, really. This really started on Friday evening, although I felt somewhat odd/crappy on Thursday, too. My head hurts, but not like a migraine. I've been dizzy, feeling like the room is spinning, but not light-headed the way I sometimes get. My stomach hurts, but not like I ate something bad. My back and neck ache. I can't tell if I had a fever or not at any point. I feel oddly weak.

I do NOT have a sort throat, sniffles, or anything that I typically associate with having a cold. This doesn't feel like a cold. I just feel like shit.

I do not have TIME for this. I'm leaving for Boston (going to Arisia, the regional sci-fi/fantasy convention) on Thursday. This is one of my favorite conventions of the year. I have shit to do. I have to go to the gym. I have errands to run. I have costumes to tweak. But I barely want to get off the sofa. WTF, self? WTF?

I'm going to take a shower and drag my ass out of the house. I'm going to do some errands. Pick up some necessities for my trip. Going to go to church (because I will be gone for the next TWO weekends, and I seriously love going to my church - we've a very unique congregation). Going to come back and do a minor carpentry repair on my dresser drawer. Going to start packing costumes. Going to do laundry. Going to get my ass to the gym (yes, I am - I MUST). Not going to accept excuses from myself.

But shit, I just want to curl up on the couch with a blanket, a cup of tea, the remote control, and a marathon of Star Trek episodes and rest the way I used to when I was a kid. Instead, I'm gonna do a meme, have a light breakfast, and try to make myself useful.

If I were a month, I'd be August, because that's my month.If I were a day of the week, I'd be Saturday, because everything happens on Saturdays.If I were a time of day, I'd be midnight - the end of the old and the beginning of the new.If I were a planet, I'd be Mercury, because I am small, swift, and fiery.If I were a sea animal, I'd be a dolphin, because they are intelligent and playful but still devious hunters.If I were a direction, I'd be south, because I am fire.If I were a piece of furniture, I'd be a futon because it has so many uses. Not one of those cheap metal ones, either. If I were a liquid, I'd be mercury.If I were a tree, I'd be a yellow birch because they're not very common, they stand out golden in the forest, and their leaves and twigs smell like wintergreen. Very unique, very beautiful, very noble trees.If I were a flower, I'd be an apple blossom - understated but fruitful.If I were a kind of weather, I'd be a thunderstorm.If I were a musical instrument, I'd be a piano (because I play them) or a tin whistle.If I were a color, I'd be red.If I were an emotion, I'd be determination.If I were a fruit, I'd be a pineapple.If I were a sound, I'd be rolling thunder.If I were an element, I'd be iron.If I were a car, I'd be a Nissan 370Z. If I were a food, I'd be Vietnamese pho, because it looks so simple, but it's far more complex than it appears. And can be very spicy. :DIf I were a place, I'd be the mountains of New Hampshire.If I were a taste, I'd be dark chocolate. Very dark.If I were a scent, I'd be the forest after a thunderstorm.If I were an object, I'd be a Swiss Army knife.If I were a body part, I'd be a hand.If I were a facial expression, I’d be an enigmatic smile. If I were a song, I'd be Defying Gravity.